Main Menu

Top Social

The best surf books to read this winter

When it's so cold outside and surfing or simply have a walk by the beach is not possible, one of my favorite activities is snuggle on the couch and relax with a good reading.

Winter is the perfect time for cozy afternoons under the blanket or in front of the fireplace, with a cup of hot chocolate and your favorite book in a hand, don't you think?

I am a huge fan of fiction and easy-to-read books that are meant to relax and make you escape from your ordinary life. Add some surfing to this and I'm sold!

Today I'm sharing with you my favorite surf-fiction books that you can't do without during these long rainy winter afternoons.

So, put some warm socks on and choose yours!

SALTWATER BUDDHA, A Surfer's Quest to Find Zen on the Sea by Jaimal Yogis

This is one of the first surf books I've ever read. Jaimal Yogis tells us his story of running away for finding himself. This is something all of us experienced at some point in our lives. The quest for a place we can call home and the adventures we live and the people with meet along the way.

Some reflections on meditation join the surf tales and some romance too in a well balanced combination of deep contemplation of life and easy-to-read entertainment.

This book definitely made me a Jaimal Yogis' fan.

For your info, they made a film out of this book and the screenings have been released in the US. Find more here

"Fed up with teenage life in the suburbs, Jaimal Yogis ran off to Hawaii with little more than a copy of Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha and enough cash for a surfboard. His journey is a coming-of-age saga that takes him from communes to monasteries, from the warm Pacific to the icy New York shore. Equal parts spiritual memoir and surfer's tale, this is a chronicle of finding meditative focus in the barrel of a wave and eternal truth in the great salty blue." Via Goodreads

SWELL by Lauren Davies

Swell has everything a surf chick could ask for. First of all the name, then some exotic places, glamorous parties, hot surfers and good waves. Add a tropical beach and some romance and there your have your winter escape.

Really, if you're trying to forget it's cold and grey outside this is the book for you.

"For Bailey the surf world was a totally unknown matter, before she met Jason at a glam party in LA. The stunning statuesque surfer offers her the opportunity of a lifetime: write his biography and follow him on the world tour, during a whole year on the best beaches around the globe. From that day on, between her first experience on a surfboard and a stolen kiss, she discovers the danger, the glamour and the drama behind the competitive surfing - giving credit to a job, the professional surfer, which is not always what we might expect. Most important, she discovers how to live." Via Surfragette

SURF MAMA by Wilma Johnson

This is a book of discovery and rebirth. When, at 44, Wilma decides it's time for a new beginning she discovers surfing and she is instantly hooked. The author tells us her story with a striking honesty and her addictive humor, letting the readers identify themselves with her experience.

Because every surfer knows the feeling of catching that first waves and how surfing can change your life. Read more here

"Wilma Johnson was living on the west coast of Ireland with her family, balancing the challenges of being an artist, wife and mother, until, in her forties, she was gripped by a deep desire to seize the day, and moved to Biarritz to become a surfer.

The plan hits troubled waters as she arrives in France with her marriage on the rocks and three children who speak no French. Her first attempts at surfing are disastrous; resulting in bruises, broken bones and a damaged ego, but when she experiences the euphoric feeling of catching her first wave and sets up the Mamas Surf Club, it's all worth it." Via OverDrive

WATER WINGS by Lauren Davies (as Lauren McCrossan)

Pure chick lit as I like, this book is full of action and romance and everything in between. The author tells us about a different point of view on surfing that brings us far from the tropical beaches and gets us in touch with the Irish Atlantic surf life.
What I loved is the tale of a different reality of cold water surfers. A community that is way closer to us rather than the stereotyped tropical surf culture we are used to hear about.

What you will get after reading this book is a great amount of motivation and understanding that nothing is impossible.

"Amelia Armstrong, Milly to her friends, has been a struggling actress for so long that even she thinks it might be time to call it a day. But as the prospect of leaving Dublin and returning shamefaced to her parents in England looms, she decides to give the acting lark one last try. An Irish film director is looking for someone with the natural, beach girl look, and one bottle of hair bleach, two bottles of fake tan and three castings later, Milly has the part. The trouble is she's told the director she's a genuine water baby when in fact she has a pathological fear of the ocean. Along with her flatmate Fi, Milly embarks on a journey to a small Donegal town to learn to surf, with the help of Fi's cousin Mac. But as Milly strives to realize her dream, the friends face more challenges than they ever imagined just trying to stay afloat." Via Goodreads

2 comments on "The best surf books to read this winter"

I love this article, I am a beach creature so I try to be creative on my winter activities. Swell by Lauren Davis sounds awesome <3 I am a huge fan of your blog, we need more surfer girls on the blogging sphere <3